N+1, Surly LHT

So I went and bought a bike frame to create yet another bicycle. What am I thinking? It is a frame meant for fully loaded touring (FLT). My current touring bike is set up for that, so why another? The differences in frame geometry and the features of the Surly are better suited. Also, I got a great deal on the frame. Surly LHT LHT = Long Haul Trucker For 26 inch wheels 52 cm frame size designation. Color: smog-geriffic silver (light silver or light grey) My current FLT bike has a Trek 710 frame made circa 1982 and was my only bike for about a decade. I got this frame and built it up while in high school. It is a "sport" touring frame made from Reynolds 531 double butted tubes. Silver soldered lugs. Great frame for its day. It still is, but it is too big for me. Seat tube length of nearly 56cm when a 52 cm best suits me. I can't stand over the top tube without basically hitting my pubic bone. The Surly is made of cro-moly steel and I think has a great track record. My friend Doug had one for a few years and no known problems. I took a 3 week tour back in 1981 or so. I had a dream of a cross country trip that I still cling to. So I went on a 3 day tour a few years back up to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Would like to do that this year too but maybe stay away from the steep and long climbs of the mountains. Use the Trek again as it will take some time to build up the Surly. The gearing on the Trek is pretty low, but as I am older and weaker now I want even lower gearing like on a mountain bike. On the 3 day tour going up route 215 to the blue ridge parkway with like 45 lbs of stuff was rough with the 28 x 32 gear on the Trek. Something like a 22 x 34 would be sweet. Hope there are some good rims and tires to choose from in 26 inch size. Due to the massive amount of mountain bikes that use this size it should not be a problem. The Trek has only one eyelet front and rear and that allowed me to creatively attach both fenders and racks. The Surly has two eyelets F & R. The Trek has only clearance for smaller width 700 c tires. I used 28 c wide for a long time but a few years ago worked to cut out the fenders and find just the right tires that are bigger (Michelin 32c city tires). They still rub the fenders when I brake. The Trek is made for side-pull brakes that mount to a center hole on the fork on the front and brake bridge on the rear like most road bikes. The Surly has bosses or mounts for cantilever or direct pull (V-brakes) which will allow for both greater braking/better stopping and greater clearance for wider tires. "Fatties fit fine" is even declared (decals) on the frame. Disc brakes would have been the best but this will be a step up. I could in the future convert the front end to a disc brake by buying a replacement fork made by Surly and for a disc brake. I have long called my Trek my "truck" bike or my Silverado. It is silver painted with much shiny metallic parts. It is heavy and with my panniers I can haul a lot. The new bike may be called the Silverado 2 or Silverado HD. I can scale back the Trek to just a rain bike or light touring. More Technical Stuff I will need to buy a headset for the Surly first of all. A nice very durable sealed headset from Cane Creek or Chris King maybe. The headset on the Trek is ruined and needs replaced or repaired. The individual ball bearings have set divots into the races. The Trek has a 6 speed freewheel and not sure you can even get them anymore. I'm having trouble enough getting a 7 speed cassette for my Specialized Allez. The frames compared In millimeters Trek. Surly ST ct. 558. 520 TT cc. 565. 535 HT a. 73.5 71* ST a. 73.5 73.5 ChSt. 441. 460 WB. 1032. 1053 ST=Seat Tube. Center to top TT = Top Tube. Center to center HT a = Head tube angle * the 71 degree ht angle will be more stable for loaded touring ChSt=Chain stay length WB = Wheelbase Serial numbers. LHT26-52. M13123485. Complete bike $1,3000 at REI. 26 x 1.5 tires seem a popular size for loaded touring; a 26-36-48 crank seems popular. Also a 11-34 (9 speed) rear cassette is popular. 26 x 34 gives about a 20 gear inch. 11-36 (even better) with a 24 up front would give a 17.3 gear inch.